Trolling rig



April 12, 1960 F. M. DUNN TROLLING RIG Filed May 11, 1959 INVENTOR EM.DUN/v M. M

ATTORNEY 2,932,115 TROLLING RIG Franklin M. Dunn, Del Paso Heights,(Zalif. Application May 11, 1359, Serial No. 812,298 Claims. (Cl.43-4312) This invention relates to a novel rig for deep trolling and hasfor its primary object to provide a trolling sinker of uniqueconstruction for use with a sinker release and which is so constructedthat the trolling rig will be deflected downwardly as the sinker ispulled through the water for reducing the amount of weight of the sinkerrequired to cause the trolling rig to assume a desired depth whentrolled at a given speed.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide atrolling sinker having a weighted head which is so constructed that itwill function as a deflector for deflecting the trolling rig downwardlyas the rig is pulled through the water and the water impinges againstthe weighted head.

Another object of the invention is to provide a troll ink sinker whichwill assume a reverse position when released from an operative positionrelative to the sinker release and in which reverse position of thetrolling sinker, a rear face of the weighted head will be disposed tofunction as a planing surface for deflecting the trolling rig upwardlyand toward the surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trolling rig whereinthe sinker is released from an operative position relative to thetrolling sinker by a pull exerted on a leader connection to the sinkerrelease.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof andwherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the trolling rig in anoperative position;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the trolling ri released;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upperportion of the trolling rig;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view, taken substantially along aline 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of a portion of thetrolling rig, taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 3, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of another portion of thetrolling rig, taken substantially .along a plane as indicated by theline 66 of Figure 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the trolling rig in itsentirety is designated generally 8 and includes a trolling sinker,designated generally 9, and a sinker release, designated generally 10. V

The sinker 9 includes a weighted head 11 having a relatively widesubstantially fiat upper end 12 and a restricted rounded lower endornose 13. The head 11, in its normal operative position as illustratedin Figure 1, is inclined downwardly and forwardly from its upper "end 12to its lower end 13, and has corresponding side edges 1d which areconvexly rounded and which converge relative to one another from theupper end 12 to the lower end 13. The head 11 has a forward side 15,forming a deflector face,.which is convexly rounded longitudinallythereof between its upper end 12 and lower end 13, and which is alsoconvexly rounded crosswise of the head betweenthe side edges 14. Theother rear side 16, of the head 11, is substantially flat and islikewise inclined downwardly and forwardly, in the operativeposition ofthe fig 8, as s'een in Figure 1.

to the head 11. Said blade 17 extends from the rear side 16 of the head,midway between the side edges 14, and is disposed in a planesubstantially perpendicular to the plane of said rear side 16. The blade17 has a relatively short upper edge 18 which is disposed only slightlybelow the level of the upper end 12 of the head 11. Said blade 17 has along straight bottom edge 19, which is disposed substantially parallelto the upper edge 18 and slightly above the level of the lower end 13 ofthe head. The blade 17 also includes a rear edge 20 which is inclineddownwardly and rearwardly from the rear end of the upper edge 18 andwhich merges with the rear end of the bottom edge 19. The blade 17 isprovided with an opening 21 disposed adjacent the rear edge 20 andnearer the upper edge 18 than the lower edge 19.

The sinker 9 also includes an eye 22 which projects upwardly from theintermediate portion of the upper end 12 of the head 11 and which isdisposed crosswise of the sinker 9. The eye 22 is formed by theintermediate portion of a staple the legs 23 of which are embedded inthe head 11 and straddle a portion of the blade 17 and have outturnedterminals disposed against the underside 16, as best seen in Figure 5.

The trolling sinker 9 also includes a rigid member 24 of channel shapeor U-shape cross section, as seen in Figure 6, the underside of theintermediate portion of which rests upon the rear end of the upper edge18 and is secured thereto, as by welding, as seen at 25. The U-shapedmember 24 forms an upwardly opening saddle which is disposed behind,spaced from and in alignment with the eye 22.

The sinker release 10 includes an elongated hollow body member 26 whichis preferably of cylindrical shape and has a front wall 27 and a rearWall 28. A swivel 29 is swivelly connected to and projects forwardlyfrom the front wall 27, as best seen in Figure 3, and is adapted to besecured to an end of a fishing line 30. A spring projected latch,designated generally 31, comprises a cotter pin including an eye 32which is disposed behind the rear wall 28. The cotter pin has legportions 33 projecting from the eye 32 and which are disposed inabutting engagement to one another and extend slidably through a centralopening 34 of the end wall 28. The other free ends 35 of the cotter pinlegs are laterally offset relative to one another and fit slidably inthe body member 26. A compression spring 36 is loosely mounted on theleg portions 33 within the body 26 between the end wall 28 and laterallyextending portions 37 of the cotter pin legs. Said compression spring36.is maintained by said parts compressed for holding the cotter pin ina forwardmost position, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, with one ofthe leg portions 35 projecting across an opening 38 of the body 26. Saidopening 38 is disposed nearer the forward end 27 than the rear end 28,crosswise of the body 26, and is substantially semicircular, as seen inFigure 5.

One end of a conventional swivel 40 is loosely connected to the eye 32.A split ring 39 is connected to said swivel end and to one end of achain 41. The other end of the swivel 40 is connected to one end of aleader 42, the opposite end of which, not shown, is adapted to haveattached thereto any suitable form of fishing lure. The other end of thechain 41 is connected by a split ring 43 to the blade 17, through theopening 21.

By pulling rearwardly on the cotter pin eye 32, the

cotter pin is then released to allow the spring 36 to project itforwardly of the body 26 so that one of the leg portions 35 will projectforwardly through the eye 22 for latching said eye in the body 26 tothus connect the sinker 9 to the release 10. The rear portion of thebody 26 extends rearwardly from the eye 22 and is of a length to extendbeyond the rear end of the upper edge 13, so that a part of the body 26seats in the saddle 24, as seen in Figures 1, 3 and 4. With the release10 thus connected to the sinker 9, considerable slack will exist in theflexible element or chain 41, as seen in Figure 1.

With the fishing rig 8 thus assembled, it is trolled through the waterin a conventional manner and it will be noted that the head 11 will beinclined downwardly andforwardly from the forward portion of the release10 so that water impinging against the forward deflector face 15 willdeflect the sinker downwardly and toward the bottom B of the body ofwater. Thus, less weight will be required than with conventionaltrolling sinkers for maintaining the rig 8 at a desired depth whiletrolling at a given speed. It will also be noted that the fishing linewill exert an upward pull on the swivel 29 and the forward end of thebody 26 for causing said body to rock relative to the eye 22 and toassume a downwardly and rearwardly inclined position relative to thesinker 9, so that the rear portion of the body 26 will seat snugly inthe saddle 24. The blade 17 functions as a rudder for maintaining thehead 11 crosswise of the direction of movement of the sinker through thewater.

When a fish strikes a lure, not shown, attached to the leader 42, asudden jerk is exerted on said leader and on the swivel and the cotterpin of the latch 31, causing the cotter pin to be pulled rearwardlyrelative to the body 26 to disengage the lower leg portion 35 from theeye 22. When this occurs, the connection of the sinker 9 to the sinkerrelease 10 by the eye 22 is eliminated so that the sinker 9 is free todrop downwardly and is held tethered to the sinker release solely by theflexible member or chain 41. The weight of the head 11 will cause thesinker to assume a reverse position with the rudder 17 disposedforwardly of the head if. and so that the flat rear face 16 is thendisposed to face forwardly, as illustrated in Figure 2. It will beapparent that as the rig 8 is retrieved by being pulled upwardly and tothe right of Figure 2, that said rear face 16 will function as a planingsurface to cause the sinker 9 to be deflected upwardly away from thebottom Band toward the surface, so that the sinker will offer a minimumof resistance to retrieving the fishing rig after a fish has beenhooked.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resortedto, without departing from the function or scope of the invention ashereinafter defined by the appended claims.

'Ijclaim as my invention:

1. A trolling rig comprising, in combination, a trolling sinker and asinker release; said sinker including an elongated flat rigid bladeforming a rudder having ends inclined downwardly and outwardly relativeto one another, a weighted head fixed to one of said ends andconstituting the forward end of the sinker, the plane of said head beingdisposed crosswise of the plane of the rudder, said head being ofsubstantial width at an upper end thereof and tapering in width towardthe lower end of said head, said head having a downwardly and forwardlyinclined forward side defining a deflector face, a rigid eye fixed toand extending upwardly from the upper end of said head, said eye beingdisposed above a portion of the rudder and crosswise thereof, anupwardly opening saddlemember fixed to and projecting upwardly from saidrudder behind and spaced from the eye; said sinker release including anelongated hollow rigid body having av forward end, a rear end and anelongated opening formed therein, at a. point spaced from said ends anddisposed crosswise of; the..body,,means adapted. to swivelly connect afishing line to the forward end of said body, an elongated latch elementmounted for sliding movement longitudinally in said body and having anexposed rear end and a portion extending slidably through the rear endof the body, spring means urging said latch element forwardly of thebody, said eye extending loosely through the opening of said body, saidlatch element having a forward portion projecting across the bodyopening and through said eye in a forwardly projected operative positionof'the latch element, a portion of said body being disposed behind theopening thereof so as to seat loosely in said saddle, means adapted toswivelly connect a fishing lure leader to the exposed rear end of saidlatch element, and a flexible element having one end secured to aportion of the rudder and an opposite and connected to said exposed rearend of the latch element for retaining the sinker connected to thesinker release when the latch element is disengaged from the eye when apull is exerted on said leader connecting means.

2. A trolling rig as in claim 1, said deflector face being convexlybowed lengthwise and crosswise thereof, and said head having asubstantially flat rear face inclined downwardly and forwardly and fromwhich said rudder projects, said sinker assuming a reverse position whenreleased and with the rudder in advance of the head whereby said rearface functions as a planing surface for urging the sinker toward thesurface during retrieve of the trolling rig. g,

3. A trolling sinker for use with a sinker release having an elongatedbody including a forward end to which a fishing line is adapted to beconnected and a rear end, said body having a transverse opening therein,a spring projected latch element slidably disposed in said body andspring urged forwardly thereof across the transverse opening of thebody, said latch element having a part extending slidably through therear end of the body and connected to a fishing lure leader; saidtrolling sinker comprising a relatively wide weighted head constitutingthe forward end of the sinker and having a forward side forming adeflector face and a rear side, a flat rigid blade having a forward endsecured in said head and projecting rearwardly from said rearside, arigid eye fixed to and extending from an upper end of said head andloosely fitting in said release body through the opening thereof andthrough which a'forward end of said latch element engages for latchingthe trolling sinker to the sinker release, a rigid saddle member fixedto and projecting upwardly from said blade behind said eye and in whicha rear portion of the body loosely seats when the latch element and eyeare engaged, and a flexible member having one end attached to the bladeand an opposite end connected to said part of the latch element fortethering the trolling sinker to the sinker release when said eye isreleased from said latch element and release body by a rearward pull onthe latch element.

4. A trolling sinker as in claim 3, said head being inclined downwardlyand forwardly from the upper end to the lower end thereof whereby thepreponderance of the weight of the sinker is disposed forwardly of saidrigid eye.

5. A trolling sinker as in claim 4, said rear side of the head beingsubstantially flat and being adapted to assume a trailing positionbehind the blade, when the sinker is connected to the sinker releasesolely by said flexible member, whereby said flat rear side of the headfunctions as a planing surface to facilitate retrieve of the sinker.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,562,054 Mathieu July 24, 1951 2,716,832 Minnie Sept. 6, 1955 2,836,002Miller May 27, 1958

